


Playground Antics

by colazitron



Series: Fic Advent 2013 [9]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-12
Updated: 2013-12-12
Packaged: 2018-01-04 11:32:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1080522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colazitron/pseuds/colazitron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's recently moved to his cousin Harry's town and school. He gets on well with all of his friends. All except Louis, that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playground Antics

"About Louis," Harry says one day and sits down next to Liam. Liam sighs and closes his math text book. When Harry has on a certain tone of voice, he means to talk business - and talk it until all's dealt with. Especially when it comes to his favourite subjects; his sixth form best friend Louis or the love of his life, a ginger kid from Gemma's year, another year above Louis' (not tha Harry's told him that yet).

 

"Yes?" Liam asks. It's not that he doesn't like Louis. Well. Louis seems to really dislike Liam, so Liam doesn't really like the way Louis treats him. He very much likes how he treats _everyone else_ though. He's a great sportsman and a great sport, never takes himself too seriously, is genuinely sweet to his sisters, bright and just universally likeable. So Liam has a bit of a crush on him. Classic.

 

"I'm sorry if I don't defend you enough to him sometimes," Harry says, big green eyes round and looking even bigger.

 

Liam sighs. His family recently moved halfway across the country because at Liam's old school he'd gotten bullied so much his grades dropped so far he had to repeat a year. That's how he ended up in Harry's year despite being a year older than him. He feels constantly guilty for how easy and relieving the move has been for him when finding new jobs and a new home can't have been easy for his parents, even if they had help from Aunt Anne. He's really glad he ended up going to school with Harry though. They've always gotten on like brothers even if they only got to see each other every few months at the one or other family gathering. Going to the same school as Harry meant having an ally and a friend from the very beginning and with Harry came Harry's group of friends, most of which Liam gelled with immediately. Except for Louis.

 

"It's okay," Liam says. It really is. He knows Harry's not Louis' keeper and he knows Harry doesn't support or agree with the things Louis says sometimes. He doesn't want to be the reason they fight.

 

"He doesn't really hate you, you know," Harry says. Liam can't help the snort that escapes him. Right. (Well, maybe 'hate' _is_ too strong a word. 'Very intense dislike' definitely isn't though.)

 

"No, I'm serious," Harry says. "He just... doesn't quite know what to do with you."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

Harry does a complicated shrug-twisted-face-thing that looks really uncomfortable.

 

"I'm really not supposed to tell you."

 

"Shouldn't have brought it up then, should you?"

 

"I know," Harry whines, "it's just you're both being a bit stupid and it's really hard to watch."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liam asks. Harry gives him an appraising look.

 

"You have a crush on Louis, don't you?" he asks then and of all the things this isn't where Liam thought this'd go. He splutters a bit and curses his cheeks internally for heating up and answering the question for him. Harry grins.

 

"You do, don't you."

 

"Fuck off," Liam says, which is also answer enough. Harry grins even brighter.

 

"I'm not saying Louis has a crush on you back, but I'm also not not saying that he thinks he's so open about how I feel about Ed but really has no clue what he's talking about," Harry says then. Liam blinks and goes through that again in his head. Then he relents and sighs.

 

"What?"

 

"He's having a bit of a gay freak out. Possibly over you. But I definitely didn't tell you that because if Louis found out he'd skin me."

 

"Right," Liam says, levelling Harry with a look. Instead of trying to persuade him, like Liam thought Harry'd try to do, Harry only winks at him and takes out his own math home work, settling in to seemingly catch up with Liam.

 

Liam really doesn't mean to put stock in Harry's words but from then on he notices - or imagines - that Louis' comments are never really as biting as the ones he gives people he's truly mad at. And that he shuts up his footie team mates when they try to pick on Liam. Liam's been operating under the impression that he doesn't like chocolate pudding - which is the reason Louis gave him when he handed his own to Liam, but then he sees him share Harry's. It's confusing. Not least because Harry has a habit of waggling his eyebrows at Liam whenever something like it happens. Once Louis caught him at it and smacked him on the arm. _Confusing_.

 

(Although maybe not as confusing when he lets himself trust Harry's words.)

 

It's another three weeks after Harry's come to talk to Liam that Louis' grating on Liam's last nerve over lunch. Liam's not been having a good day - or week, really - and he's in absolutely no mood to entertain Louis. So when he starts teasing him about only having tried out for the swim team so he'd get to show off his new abs, he snaps.

  
"Seriously, Tomlinson, if you wanted to take me out, all you had to do was _ask_. Pulling pigtails is a playground move."

 

There's a stunned silence around the table during which you could hear a pin drop - if anyone had one on them. Louis stares at Liam like he's grown a second head. It would explain where the decision to say that came from, if Liam's honest. It's when everyone turns their stares from Liam to Louis that Louis blinks out of his daze with an easy shrug as if he were completely unfazed by it all.

 

"Well then. Dinner Friday?" he says, popping a slice of apple in his mouth and chewing nonchalantly. Harry's dropped his head on his crossed arms next to him and his shoulders are shaking. Probably in laughter.

 

"You're paying," Liam says. He has no idea where this attitude is coming from.

 

"Wouldn't dream of anything else. Gotta treat you like a proper lady, Payno," Louis says. This time Liam recognises the glint in his eyes for what it is - fondness. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. The tension leaves the table and Harry's laughter becomes audible. Louis smacks him over the back of his head.

 

"Oh, stop your giggling. 's not like you've made a move on ginger boy wonder yet," he says, making Harry's mood take a 180 and prompt him to start whining about how pretty the freckles on Ed's face are. A perfectly normal Tuesday, really.

 

Louis' foot pokes at Liam's under the table.

 

Maybe slightly better than normal.

 

**The End**


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